Verses That Hurt: Pleasure and Pain from the Poemfone Poets

"Verses that Hurt" is one of the best collections of poetry I've read in a long time. Ideal for people who don't really like poetry, because it's not structured and very free-flowing, and people who DO like poetry as well, because hey, we love free-flowing expression too. Some of the poems describe sweet happiness, and some capture the essence of hate and anger. Sexuality is a constant theme in some of them. One of my favorites is "Please Master" by Allen Ginsberg. To me, this captures the very essence of sexuality. And not just gay-male sexuality, I'm talkin' the whole picture, ALL sexuality, even though the terms use seem to allude to the first. Definitely a good read.

Okay At first i only bought this book cuz nicole blackman had some of her work in it...but after sitting down and reading this I was intoxicated...I saw true emotions, they swore, made fun of others and themselves, talked about sex in all its' forms of taboo, This book also inspired me to kepp writing. alot of my poetry comes when i'm dark and angry so i have atendency to be very blunt honest and harsh...the poets in this book showed me that it was ok to be like that.....

I will begin this review by telling you that this is the most amazing collection of poetry I have ever read. Verses that Hurt taught me that poetry could be fun, unapologetic, and cut through your soul like a rusty double edged knife. One year after reading this book, I began writing my own poetry, slamming with my work, getting it published, and eventually representing Austin at the National Poetry Slam in Providence, RI. All in one year, and all largely due to this book. To say that a single book can profoundly change your life and the way you look at the world is a bit too Oprah Book Club for me, but I would be lying if I said that wasn't the case with Verses. Verses that Hurt begins with the hard-hitting words of Penny Arcade's "Manifesto." The moment I read this poem, I knew I would be hooked on this collection. Her poem begins with, "This is my personal message to all you careerist, slime-bucket, fame-seeking, psychofantic, weak-worded, same-voiced..." I could go on, but you get the idea. It really just screamed to me, "Poetry is POWER!"Tish Benson's "U BE DOIN IT" is an amazing poetic representation of jazz and sound: "deBOOPde bEE bOPdeBoPdeBop da Bang bANG" - BRILLIANT!Matthew Courtney's "A Dream Never Dreamed of Sonny Bono & Don Knotts" captures everything that wordplay has the potential to become.Anne Elliott is perhaps my favorite poet in this book. She slams it all in your face, but does so with a subtle creepiness that is truly out of this world! DEFINATELY check out "something turned over" and "Trojan Love Poems." In fact, I dare you to read "Trojan Love Poems" out loud without crying. I super dog dare ya'!Shut-Up Shelly does amazing things with word placement on the page. Also the content of "mantra" really speaks to the forlorn nature of our generations: "My life is ----/I hate my life/My life sucks/It's a mantra!" Finally, Edwin Torres, who is always the craziest poet in just about any collection, does some very powerful work in this collection. Check out "Power Round" and "The Modern Phaullus."In short, this is no grandmother's book of poetry. The plethora of poetic device used in this collection kicks any other anthology out of the water! BUY THIS BOOK TODAY, become a poet tomorrow.

After reading only a few of the selected poems in this book at a bookstore, I had to have it. But, before buying it I leafed through it and found that a page was missing, so I went to great lengths to find a perfect and undamaged copy that I could own, and my sister and I share it. We quote it at each other and it helps us through tense and stressful times. It's also inspring, and well-written. For the angry individual lurking within the blackest corners of our hearts, this book is sublime perfection. Own it, learn it, live it, love it.

Not being a huge fan of collected works of poetry, I almost refrained from purchasing this book. Knowing that Nicole Blackman and Anne Elliot had work in here made me do it. And am I glad I did. Like any collection there are not so stellar works in here. That doesn't matter when there is writing like "(she's the one who fixes me when I'm falling apart / -stitches me back together with nicotine and tea) / she's the kind of girl who can make a dress / out of a garbage bag. / she always somehow looks better than I ever will / there's a lot of drag queen in her." (Nicole Blackman - "Iris") This collection grew out of the phenomenon that is Poemfone...call a number and hear a new poem every day. What a way to inspire a flurry of creativity in a writer...give them thirty 1 day deadlines in a row. This book is the fruit of that labor...and I believe it can, should and will shape the way young writers view poetry & the creation of same. It certainly did that for me. Raw, real, breaking the rules, creating new ones, this is poetry you can sink your teeth into. Most of the time the words beg you to do just that...tear into them and rip off a bloody chunk, swallow it whole and feel it inside you. Use this book as nutrition. It can sustain life.